Rise of the Dark God
by Rago Dragovian
Summary: A fledgling Holy Grail, from a world in which the summoning was partially successful, slams into an alternate world in which Emiya Shirou became childhood friends with Hortensia Caren. The rules of the Holy Grail War change and Warriors from other universes are summoned. ...Fate/destiny and the world are so screwed.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: THIS STORY WOULD NOT LEAVE ME ALONE SO I WROTE IT. THANK YOU.

DISCLAIMER: ALL OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY AREN'T MINE. OBVIOUSLY.

* * *

The Holy Grail fled from its failed attempt to incorporate the Chaos Lord into its grasp. Angra Mainyu had taken what power it had left and hurled itself across space-time in a desperate effort to flee from the Chaos Lord that it had failed to assimilate.

 _I was too arrogant,_ thought the Grail, _far too arrogant. I must sustain my essence quickly or I shall become non-existent, I cannot keep tumbling across space-time or the gods shall erase my existence. Damn it! I was so close, the fluke of that devil woman's power had so much potential and yet, the time from which I came is slowly eclipsing! I must find a path . . . a doorway to make my existence manifest itself to bring true evil upon the world! MY PURPOSE SHALL COME TO FRUITION! Angra Mainyu shall rise to power!_

The gateway shook. _No! Damn you, Servant of Kiritsugu! You shall pay for what you did to me! I was so close, and then that space-time power! MY UNBOUND EXISTENCE SHALL NOT BE FOR NAUGHT!_

The essence of the Holy Grail froze as it looked into the world of multiple possibilities and plunged into the most suitable form. He briefly observed the multiverse with the regression models moving around King Artura, Matou Sakura, and Emiya Shirou. From the aggregate mean, the Holy Grail took a sample of space-time events from the edges and made its decision.

 _THERE IS NO TIME LEFT!_

He plunged. One in which Emiya Shirou wasn't quite strong in his ties with Matou Sakura, Illyasviel von Einzbern, and Rin Tohsaka.

The Holy Grail successfully assimilated itself with the in-world version of itself from the time-space ripple distortion and began a modified and far more dangerous Holy Grail War.

In an alternate timeline in which a young Emiya Shirou went to a church for solace after his adopted father's death and befriended a young woman named Hortensia Caren.

* * *

"Hello, what seems to be the matter?" said Caren, placing the broom aside and walking up to the young boy crying in the front bench of the church. The young boy froze and began to hastily wipe away his tears before tensing. Both of them paused before the boy turned around and ran for the door.

Caren ran forward and grabbed his left elbow before he could leave. _"_ Please wait, don't go just yet."

 _Father told me to always watch for strays in case they show up_

The boy tried to run, Caren held steadfast on her grip, and felt herself tugged off her feet as she fell face first onto the floor. The footsteps of the boy paused. Caren rubbed her aching forehead and got to her knees. Her yellow eyes gazed upon the tear streaked red haired boy. The boy was shaking in his place.

"I . . . I . . ." began the boy before turning back around and making a break for the church door.

Caren frowned. _What should I do? I don't blame him, it was an obvious accident, he isn't at fault, but how can I keep him from running? Should I just wait until Father returns? No . . . if I am to become a valued member of the Church, I must help people who come my way. God helps those who help themselves._

She ran toward the slowly closing door and swung it forth. She spotted the boy sprinting away into the dark forest. She jumped down the cobble stairs to move faster and ran toward the boy. The boy turned and froze in surprise. Caren took advantage of his hesitance by grabbing his left arm with both her hands and holding on tightly. Her fingers pressed hard on his elbow.

"Please," said Caren, taking a pause to clear her breathing. "Please, don't go."

"I'm . . . I'm sorry! I just, I was in a rush and I . . . I didn't mean it . . ." said the red-haired boy.

"Don't worry, it isn't your fault," said Caren smiling in order to ease his hesitation.

The moved the sleeve of his other hand to his face and began wiping his eyes. Caren tugged his arm and the boy finally complied and walked with her to the church steps. Caren sat on the last step and motioned for the boy to sit next to her. The red-haired boy moved to sit by her right and kept his gaze downward.

"It is my fault," said the boy, "I . . . I really am sorry, I just . . . I don't really know why I came here."

Caren inched closer to the boy. "I honestly don't blame you. It was a mistake and mistakes will always happen for we humans because we are born sinners who cannot help our human nature. You've already expressed remorse and I don't doubt your intentions. So tell me, why were you crying?"

 _I want to get straight to the point. I must become a valued member of the Church. I don't simply want to be here because of nepotism._

"My father died a week ago," said the red-haired boy. Caren's eyes widened and she frowned. "I don't have anyone else. A neighbor comes by to help me out but it's not the same. I don't want to go to the authorities because some friends at school tell me bad things happen to children brought up in adopted homes. There was this one kid I heard about who was killed by his adopted parents before the end of the school year in the last school year. And, I'm just afraid . . ."

"Of being alone?"

He shook his head. His shoulders began to tremble and tears streaked down his face once more. "My dad was everything to me and now I feel like I just don't matter. Like, nobody would really care if I was gone, like that kid from last year. People would just go on without me. And I . . . I just want to feel like I matter to others. I want to prove that I matter, you know? Sometimes, I wish I could be a hero who was saving everyone, so that I would matter to everyone. But . . . I guess you think I'm stupid now, right?"

"Not at all," said Caren, shaking her head. "I kind of understand it, actually. I've always wanted to prove myself so that I could matter to my dad. Is there anything that you want to do to prove to yourself that you can do it?"

The red-haired boy frowned and shook his head. "I just . . . want to matter to other people. That's all. I always feel like I'm empty inside now. Like . . . I'm not real or that I'm not really here."

"My dad once told me that he felt something like that," said Caren, "He said it felt like . . . he lacked a sense of self."

"That's a good way of putting it, yeah," said the boy nodding.

Caren's eyes widened. _Is he like father? Well, maybe . . . I can help fix him. I don't think I can ever change father, if mother couldn't. But, I really want to fix whatever is wrong with him. I can't with father, but maybe I can with this boy?_

Caren grinned. "Everyone feels like that sometimes. Even me." _It's true enough, some people are just worse than others with it. Like father . . ._

"Really?" said the boy. He turned to face Caren. The boy's eyebrows rose.

"Yeah," said Caren, holding onto the boy tighter. "Hey, how about this, if you come by during the weekdays and Sundays after Church, you can help me out with the cleaning? We're always in need of volunteers. Oh, and if you want, I could come to your house and play with you. I would have to ask my dad if it's okay, but I don't think that he would mind."

The boy's eyes shined and he smiled. "Sure!"

"So," began Caren, "Um . . . what is your name?"

"Oh, it's Emiya," said the boy, "Emiya Shirou."

Caren froze and gapped at him. _No, I won't run away from this. This actually makes me more interested in finding out what makes him feel this way. I can fix him, maybe I can't fix father, but I think I have a chance with someone my own age._

"I'm Hortensia Caren," said Caren, smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Shirou-kun."

* * *

 _ **YEARS LATER**_

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Shards of ice flew at him as he jumped away in time to avoid being impaled into the wall. _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!_

Shirou got back to his feet and kept running as the high-pitched female laughter continued.

"You cannot run forever, little boy," said the Servant, as she leisurely watched her prey. The bluish-white hair blew along with the cold, night breeze. "Once I catch you, I'll be sure to have my fun with you! Oh, I wonder how much I can do before I can hear your moans and screams as I take out your entrails?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" shouted Shirou, "And I already told you, I come from a mage family, you don't have to kill me!"

"Oh, I already knew that," said the Servant, she giggled. Shirou gaped at her. "I just want to have some fun! I've been so bored here and I've just been itching for a fight since being resurrected for the Holy Grail War."

She summoned ice shards and hurled them at him once again. Shirou ran inside the building but quickened his pace as he saw the hallways slowly being submerged in ice with ice shards shooting towards him from the ground.

 _OH, WHAT THE FUCK?!_

The Servant giggled as she began to slowly walk towards the entrance of the school until a light from the night sky brightened and began to shine brighter. The Servant turned her head toward the ever brightening light.

"What? . . . Oh shit!" yelled the woman as a fiery cross slammed into her.

A small fissure and fiery explosion burned around where she had stood. A miniature mushroom ballooned around before suddenly vanishing into mist as the female servant stood unfazed and grinned at the approaching enemy.

The new arrival let out a whistle. "You're pretty good to have detected and blocked that in time. And using ice powers? This should be quite a fun fight."

The bluish-white haired woman grinned and pointed her sword towards the shirtless man. "A weakling has come to challenge me? I can't wait to cut you to pieces and bathe in your blood."

"Weakling?" said the shirtless man, moving his hand to place his hat more securely on his head. "Well, I've been called far worse. May I please have your name or if not, then your servant class?"

"Heh, I don't fear anyone knowing who I am, unlike maggots," said the woman, bending her knees and straightening the posture of her sword arm. "I am Lady Esdeath, I use to be the top general of my empire and brought my kingdom to victory numerous times throughout my reign in the military. I am also known for my cruelty, my grotesque torture methods, and my desire for strength so that I may prove I am the strongest. I wear all the negative rumors about me proudly, as they're proof that my philosophy on life is right. The strong live and the weak die, that's just how the world works."

"A good sentiment, I actually couldn't agree more. Although, I think it's pretty tragic, but I'm not complaining," said the black-haired man, he pulled his right arm back and formed a fist. "Anyway, since you've been so forthcoming, I feel it's only fair I tell you about myself. I was nicknamed Fire Fist Ace, commander of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates, real name is Portgas D. Ace. I died because I let my pride get the better of me. The only part of my death that I really regret was further putting my loved ones in danger because I acted rashly. And, that's about it."

"Well, portass, I'm going to put your head on a mantle after I'm done having my way with you," said Esdeath, she licked her lips and her feet began to tremble. Ace snorted. "And for your information, I'm the Saber class of this grail war."

"Ah, well, I'm the Archer class." replied Ace.

"Hah! Then you must suck at close combat!" said Esdeath charging up to him and impaling the sword through his sternum. "You're quite the idi . . . Wait, wha-?"

A small blot of fire encircled the area where she had stabbed. Her eyes widened as she turned her head up to see Ace's mischievous grin.

"Nope, sorry," said Ace, as his fist hand was engulfed in flames. "HIKEN!"

"Aw, shi -"

A torrent of raging fire engulfed Esdeath's body and blasted her across the racetrack of the schoolyard. The area where she landed demystified to show various ice walls melting around her. She glared at the grinning Ace.

"I will make you suffer for humiliating me like that, you rabid dog!" said Esdeath, summoning ice swords and hurling them at Ace.

Ace reared back his fist. "Kagerou!"

The projectiles evaporated upon contact with Ace's fire stream. "Sorry, Lady Mcdeath, but your ice attacks won't do much against a fire user like me."

Esdeath's shoulders shook. She giggled and then began to laugh aloud. "Well then! I'll just step it up a notch! I'll prove that a worthless dog like you cannot hope to face a proud general like me!"

Esdeath raised her arm and a giant ball of ice manifested itself and began floating above her. Ace grinned.

"Well, if it's a challenge between powers that you want," said Ace, raising his hand in the sky. "Entei!"

A ball of massive fire began to burn brightly above him. He launched it at Esdeath. Esdeath grinned and launched her ice ball at Ace's attack. The two attacks collided causing the entire area to shake and for bits of ice and fire to spatter across the grounds and into the windows. Walls became scorched by fire or shredded by ice projectiles. The area began to shake as the mist intensified.

"Makahadoma!" shouted Esdeath. _Now is the perfect opportunity! The idiot fell for it!_

Ace gasped in shock as a sword hilt pierced through his chest from behind him. Blood spattered onto the ground and leaked from the blade. The ground trembled as the previous ice-fire attack began to dissipate in an explosive stream of fire and ice.

"You lose, you pathetic weakling," said Esdeath behind him, grinning and licking her lips, "I had a hunch that making a wet sheet of ice on the blade would allow me to pierce you. I was right, water is your weakness. Too bad that fire isn't mine. Now, I'll rip you apart and-"

"Damn, I definitely underestimated you," said Ace, the burning in his chest moved up through his esophagus and he coughed out blood. _Shit, this is bad, I guess my own death didn't change me from being careless._ "Gkuh, Graaaah!"

An invisible blue wave of willpower engulfed the area and Esdeath fell over unconscious. Ace fell to his knees and spread fire throughout his chest to let the wet sword fall off his back. "Damn, wish I could control it better, if only I had known I had it when I was alive, but at least it helps in tight spots."

"Archer, what was that burst of power?" asked Rin, running up to the two fallen combatants.

"My Noble Phantasm, I can't really control it because I never realized I had it in life," said Ace, turning to face her. "but it allows me to knock out opponents with a weaker willpower than me when I'm in a pinch."

"Shit!" said Ace, before launching toward Rin by transforming his legs into fire and grabbing her to shoot up in the sky. Rin was about to admonish him but then looked down and noticed that the enemy servant had vanished.

"Where could she be?" said Rin aloud. They stared at each other in realization. "The school!"

* * *

"Damn it!" shouted Shirou, as he rose from the floor. _To think that trying to stay out of the fucking magi war and go to school early would lead to me being in more danger._

He let out an aggravated sigh as the oppressive tightening in his chest finally lessened. "I refuse to be killed by some psychopathic Servant. I _will_ accomplish my goals and obligations. Absolutely nothing will stand in my way!"

Shirou began to mutter the ancient tongue and placed his bloody hand on the floor. The magic sparkled around him before forming a giant circle made from his blood. _I'm sorry, Caren. But it looks like I have to be involved in this shithole of a war, after all. I hope that you can forgive me . . ._

Shirou took out a pendant that he wore. He sighed. _Hopefully, this piece of magecraft shall do._

He threw it above the circle and began the incantation with his bloody hand outstretched.

A ball of fire incinerated the large windows of the school and slammed a short distance away from Shirou just as the summoning circle engulfed the area in blinding light.

"Good evening, my Master," spoke a rhythmic and proud voice, a dark cape covering the summoned Servant's body. "I was once known as the bloodthirsty King of Fear, King of Carnage and Atrocity, Conqueror of all the Netherworlds, of Earth, and the entire galaxy, and most noticeably known as Tyrant."

"However! I prefer to be known as the Symbol of Fear, and despite all the cute titles, what I should be known for is . . . " said the Servant, the arms moved outstretched towards the air followed by the bellowing of a cape. ". . . the POWER OF SARDINES!"

Shirou gaped at the man who emerged from the shining light. _Just what the hell did I summon?_

"You see, thanks to the power of sardi - oh, we have company! I'll carry on this conversation later."

Shirou facepalmed. "You didn't even tell me your name!"

"Oh, right," said the Servant. Shirou noticed the bat-like cape, victorian style attire, and fangs. "my name is Valvatorez - I'm usually referred to as Tyrant Valvatorez or Lord Valvatorez but for the purposes of the Holy Grail War and our newfound camaraderie, just Valvatorez will do. I prefer not to go by fancy titles. May I have your name?"

"Emiya Shirou," deadpanned Shirou, turning to see the shirtless man with fire emanating from his body walking closer to them.

"Well, Emiya Shirou," said Valvatorez, brandishing an o-katana and stepping toward the other Servant. "As a proud and noble demon, I promise to win you the Holy Grail War!"

"Uh, actually," began Shirou, "I just want to survive, I don't really care about winning."

"What? That's ridiculous! Why join the war at all?" said Valvatorez, briefly gazing back at Shirou, "War is no joking matter. You shouldn't have summoned me on a whim."

"I didn't! I was attacked by a Servant who nearly killed me," said Shirou, "I have goals and this is the best way to survive as I can't risk being hounded and murdered by the whims of a Servant."

"Hmm . . . very well," replied Valvatorez, "I'll do my best to see that you survive this war. That is my promise to you and I always strive to do my best in keeping my promises."

"A sword?" questioned Ace, walking towards them. "Are you another Saber class?"

"Ah, not at all," said Valvatorez, "I'm the Beast class for this war."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "Beast class? Seems rather odd. Well, time to get this over with."

A blue pulse of willpower engulfed the school corridor. Shirou was knocked unconscious and landed onto the ground in a thud. Valvatorez gritted his teeth but remained standing. Ace froze.

"My attack didn't knock you out?!" said Ace. His eyes widened.

Valvatorez smiled. "Sorry, but you'll have to do better than that."

"Alright, let's try this . . ." said Ace, rearing his fist back, "HIKEN!"

"Oh damn i-" said Valvatorez before the fire burned his body and blasted him onto the far wall.

"Fuuuuck!" shouted Valvatorez, the fire burned his skin and his wings. It began to spread across his body.

He dropped and rolled on the ground as the fire slowly burned out. He hissed as the fire slowly receded and died out. He scowled and slowly got to his feet to face the other Servant.

"Fire's your weakness? Well, this should be easier for me," said Ace, looking toward Shirou, who remained sprawled eagle style on the ground. He raised his head to look at the vampire and put his fingers in a cross shape. "We were just trying to make sure the kid was safe, but since he's summoned a Servant, that changes everything. I'm afraid whatever ambitions you have will end here."

Valvatorez brought his sword down vertically and shot a crescent strike at Ace. Ace shot his cross fire and allowed it to collide with the other attack. His eyes widened as he witnessed the vampire suddenly in front of him and slashing his sword diagonally across Ace's sternum.

"Sorry, but that won't - what the?!" shouted Ace as he was blasted backwards and fell to the ground. _A magic infused sword strike? Damn it, I really need to be more cautious. Aw, fuck . . ._

Ace spat out blood as the wound from Saber Esdeath worsened. _Not good, I might actually get killed right here if I don't back out now . . . but I . . .I don't want to run away from an opponent! But, damn it, this is too similar to the situation that got me killed. I need to back down . . ._

Valvatorez transformed himself into a dark mass of bats and grabbed Shirou before smashing through the glass window above to fly into the night sky.

"Archer, return, I can tell that you're injured and this has been a fairly productive day so far," said Rin, Ace returned to astral form and into Rin's mana supply to recover. "So, Emiya Shirou is a challenger in the grail war. I'll have to keep an eye out for him and Shinji. Damn it, I really wanted to avoid hurting Sakura . . . I hope she can forgive me for what I'll have to do, assuming Shinji is also in the war."


	2. Chapter 2

Caren scowled as he finished. Shirou frowned and fidgeted as he wracked his brain trying to think of what to say to ease her anger.

"Look, it's not like I'm trying to put myself in active danger," said Shirou, Caren's scowl didn't waver as she folded her arms. "It's just the best way to protect myself from danger. I was nearly killed by an enemy Servant! So, well . . . I had to do it."

"Why didn't you just flee from the building as the two other Servants fought?" asked Caren, raising an eyebrow.

"Well . . ." began Shirou, _Aw, crap, why didn't I think of that at the time?!_ "I was afraid . . . that the Servant would be outside or follow me!"

Caren's questioning look didn't change. Shirou slumped his shoulders and looked at the ground. _Damn it, I don't think I'll hear the end of this._

He looked up to see the predatory grin from Caren. Most people would think it was a grin of triumph, but Shirou knew better after spending so many years with her.

"So, let's assess this rationally, shall we?" said Caren, Shirou straightened his posture recognizing that Caren had seen a flaw in his thinking as per usual and would remind him of it. "You decided, based upon a fluke event that could later be avoided by using sensory powers to keep yourself out of as much danger as possible for the upcoming war, to participate in the Holy Grail War and actually make yourself a target to be killed by highly skilled Magi whose powers are yet unknown to the both of us? You could have just enlisted my help so that the Church could protect you from danger or trained your powers to better avoid violent conflicts but instead your decision to protect yourself was to legitimize the attack that happened to you and legalize your own personal peril. By joining, you've overwhelmingly increased the probability that you'll be murdered in the war."

"Listen, Caren-chan, I-" Shirou was interrupted as he felt a stinging slap across his face. He looked down to see Caren give him a rather nasty glare. The red cape returned around Caren.

 _I've never seen her this angry at me,_ thought Shirou, _She's been dismayed or scowled when I did stupid things, but she's never actively shown contempt for me . . ._

"Tell me, Shirou-kun, was it possibly your idiotic ideal that also influenced you into making this decision?" said Caren, her eyes boring into his. Shirou frowned at the biting tone of her voice. "Did you perhaps think, 'I want to prove I'm a hero', or 'I want to fulfill my goals' which consists of spending your life fighting, killing, perhaps even assassinating innocent people, and congratulating yourself on a _heroic_ job well done? Did you perhaps hope for a Heroic Spirit to teach you the ways of being a self-serving killer that speaks of selfless ideals while murdering children? Did the fantasy of rescuing a city of innocent people from an evil mastermind in those worthless superhero movies blind you to the reality of humanity's true nature of violence, prejudice, and sin? Did you forget what I told you about how your own father participated in ethnic cleansings of innocent men, women, and children while worshiping that very same ideal? Or how my own father and grandfather stayed silent whenever people of his faith would participate in those very same deeds and how the masses justify their own violence in self-serving ways? Do you really believe fighting, killing, and dying will be unique in your experience when men and women greater than you and I have tried to stop violence through heroic means only to get sucked into the life of being a puppet for man's worldly greed?"

"I know that!" shouted Shirou, his cheeks heating up. Meeting Caren's glare with a scowl of his own. His arms shook and he balled his hands into fists. "But even so . . . even if that were to happen, maybe I could still make a difference? Maybe, despite those deaths - or even because of what I'd learn from them, I could accomplish a better version of the world than the others that came before me? Maybe, it wouldn't necessarily be in vain, but rather I could create a brighter future through peoples sacrifices?"

"That is an entirely self-refuting assessment. It is self-refuting because your answer is to follow the same exact steps as your father and look what happened to him; and he isn't the only one! Moreover, who are _you_ to decide what value the lives of people that you have murdered are? That's an irrational, and psychotic, worldview predicated upon the remorse of a killer being more important than the lives taken." deadpanned Caren, shaking her head. "Something which, need I remind you, is a personal doubt that I've been carrying despite my faith in God. I'd like to believe that forgiveness is universal as a doctrine, but if it can mean killers can forgive themselves and go back to murdering innocents - if it can even be interpreted that way as it has for virtually every Christian who goes to war and dehumanizes the people that they've killed as some evil Other - then what good can Christian doctrine truly bring? Jesus's salvation seems to have already been manipulated to suit the purposes of the greedy and I've _told you about this already and you're just showing that you didn't deem it of any value for the sake of your own idealistic beliefs_."

Shirou hung his head in shame. Caren narrowed her eyes before scoffing. "You know what? Just forget it, you've decided to take this course of action on your own despite my warnings and despite everything I shared with you throughout the years. If you can't honestly have any self-regard for your own life, despite what I've told you about how that makes me feel, then why should I have any regard for your life either? You're old enough to be making your own decisions now and you obviously didn't even think about the consequences before becoming a participant. Instead, you put yourself and everyone close to you in danger because of your recklessness. You're dead to me."

Shirou felt a stabbing sensation in his chest upon hearing those words. He raised his head to see Caren briskly walk towards the exit, put on her shoes, and slam the door on her way out of the Emiya household. _Damn it, how could I fuck up this bad? The one time she finally decides not to forgive me for my actions and it ends up like this . . ._

* * *

Caren walked in a rapid pace as she tried to handle the growing anger that she felt. She had zoned out and was vaguely heading towards Fuyuki Church. _Why did I let that get to me? I shouldn't have expected better, we're all human and therefore prone to such sinful behavior. Everyone is bound to disappoint and fail my expectations of them because that's just how we humans are genetically programmed. That's just how the world works. There's nothing we can do about human folly, much less human violence . . ._

 _. . . So why do your idiotic decisions always anger me so much, Shirou?_

She touched her hand on her cheek to wipe away the wetness. The sharp pain in her chest intensified.

 _Tears? And chest pain? I don't sense any demonic possessions nearby . . . Oh Lord, why did Shirou have to be such a complete idiot and put himself into more danger? I tried so hard to make a real friend, I tried to break that emptiness of his, and now he could just die at any moment. The parables were right, always expect tragedy and hardship as a test from the Lord._

The thought of Shirou's body being mangled or Shirou being horrifically murdered came unbidden in her mind. Caren stopped and used her sleeve to wipe away the pesky tears that didn't seem to stop. Caren felt a her head begin to ache.

 _What can I do? Even if I hoped Shirou's Servant would be killed off quickly, there is still the possibility that the other competitors would murder him outright to make sure that he wasn't able to interfere for the rest of the war or any potential future wars. He might even put himself into danger due to his unthinking recklessness for the three classmates who are likely participants in the Holy Grail war. I know that he holds some affection for Matou Sakura. Yet, even disregarding that, he could potentially put himself in harm's way because he believes it's the right course of action. There's no talking sense to his stubborn resolve and lack of self worth. And, he might . . . he really might . . ._

Caren bolted towards the Fuyuki Church. _There has to be a way of fixing this mess somehow!_

"Father," said Caren, walking up to Kotomine Kirei. Kirei looked up from his book and narrowed his eyes upon noticing his daughter's tear-stained cheeks. "I've need of your advice. It seems Emiya Shirou has foolishly decided to join the Holy Grail war."

A silence hung over between them. Caren folded her arms and tapped a finger on her elbow. Kirei flipped another page in his book and didn't respond. Caren frowned.

"Surely, he's unfit to be fighting in this esteemed war against the noble houses," said Caren, Kirei continued reading. "and he is sure to make a mockery of it. He is nothing like his late father and none of his abilities could even come close to those used in the amazing battle between yourself and his father. As such, he should be disqualified and made to forfeit his Servant; perhaps barred from the Holy Grail War entirely."

"Well, as I am the mediator and I do agree with your assessment of his abilities, I would assume that was the best course of action for him," said Kirei, Caren's heart fluttered and her lips twitched upward. "but unfortunately, he has not broken any rules, and thus I don't have the power to disqualify him from participation in the war. But, even if I did, I wouldn't have the inclination. After all, the young man is of age and should be responsible for himself. His recklessness and stupidity is of no surprise to me considering who his father was."

Caren felt as if a sharp knife had stabbed and twisted her heart. She lowered her head to the ground. _How do I convince father to get Shirou off the Holy Grail War? How can I keep him safe? Oh Lord, what do I have to do?_

"I'm surprised that you felt the need to bring this matter to my attention," said Kirei, a small smile forming on his lips. He put his book away and gave his daughter full attention. "It also seems that you were crying recently. Best be careful, Caren-chan, a stranger could easily misinterpret your reaction as being enamored with the Emiya boy and could potentially kidnap you under the fatuous assumption that you were in love with him."

"There is no mistake," replied Caren, raising her head to stare directly at her father. Kirei froze and he gazed upon his daughter's yellow eyes. Caren stared back nonplused. "I am in love with Emiya Shirou."

Silence hung in the air. Caren and Kirei stared at each other as the meaning behind those words began to sink in for both of them.

Kirei's lips twitched. "Merely a schoolgirl fascination. Something of this sort was bound to happen at your age and you have spent much time with the boy. He, most likely, shall not live past the tournament's conclusion and you will eventually accept his brash choices for what they were. He is responsible for his own welfare, and you would do well to remember that, and to not get yourself involved into any unneeded violence or fall for any traps by the Masters of this war as a result of sentimentality."

"I refuse to just stand by and let Shirou get murdered in this war," said Caren, "I will do what I can to prevent that from happening."

"Oh? And what do you intend to do, Caren-chan?" said Kirei, grinning, "Are you willing to place your own life on the line and get yourself killed? There would always be the possibility that you could be captured and tortured, raped, or murdered by the enemy Masters or just assassinated from afar. If you're that head over heels for the boy, then why not summon a Servant right now and at least die alongside him?"

Caren took a deep breath and exhaled. She unfolded her arms and raised one of her hands. A summoning circle began to glitter from directly beneath. Kirei's eyes widened as Caren began singing the enchantment. She threw a large piece of jewelry that had been on her person in the air. A holy bracelet given to her for her church service and said to be of noble lineage. _I don't mind making sacrifices for what I'm about to do . . ._

"You wouldn't - No!" shouted Kirei before rushing forward but then the church jewelry piece began to vanish into the spell. A giant flash of light blinded Kirei and a boom resounded between him and his daughter. Kirei stared at the newly summoned Servant in a mostly dark brown hooded leather garb with orange highlights and a skull deathmask. "You . . . you idiot! What the hell have you done?!"

"I am the Assassin, Rose of the Scattered Bones, in my life I became known as the vassal of the chosen Shepherd and took his place as the next Shepherd to cleanse the evil of my world. And . . . yeah, yeah, you get the gist of it." said Rose, waving her right arm in front of Caren. "Anyway, do you recognize me as your Servant or what?"

Caren smiled. "Yes, I am your Master, Hortensia Caren. I've joined this war to protect my foolish best friend, who I am in love with. As for my wish from the Holy Grail . . . well, it's corrupt, so it's best that I don't wish for anything."

"Alright, high five!" said Rose, stretching out her hand for a high-five. Caren raised an eyebrow but followed through with the social gesture to mollify her Servant. Caren dismissed the Servant into astral form.

"Well then, Overseer," said Caren, turning her attention to her father and began smoothing out her apparel. Kirei glared at her. "I must take my leave. I shall ask for your services, should you see fit to accommodate me after going against your wishes, and I hope that you, I, and Emiya Shirou will all make it out of this war with our lives and bodily appendages intact."

She turned and began to walk out. Kirei balled his hands into fists and glared at her. "Don't you dare give me that farce! You know very well what I intend to do in this war! I must find my sense of self no matter what it takes!"

Caren stopped walking and turned her head to look back at her father. "Then, you will just have to find that answer after I become one of your victims in this senseless war. For that matter, I would never begrudge you for killing me, in fact - if it shall ameliorate whatever guilt that you could or would have had - then I even give you permission. This was my decision and I will accept the ramifications of my decision. I will not take the easy way out. It is entirely my responsibility."

Kirei gaped at her. His body began to shake as his face slowly became more enraged and turned a shade puce.

"HOW DARE YOU JUST-!"

"Father," said Caren, stopping Kirei's tirade. She smiled at him; a genuine and rare smile. Kirei vaguely remembered a similar smile on his wife as she took her own life under the wrongful belief that he finally felt something other than his negative impulses. "I love you."

Kirei felt a twinge within him and his frown deepened as he stared at her smiling face.

"I don't understand," said Kirei, frowning and then sighing. His anger deflating.

"I know," said Caren nodding to him, her smile receding into a thin line. "and I would never hold it against you. Should Emiya Shirou's safety be secured and if you so desire it, you can take my life for whatever purposes that you have for this war. I am sorry for disappointing you, Father. But, my decision is final. It is my wish that both you and Shirou-kun live through this war."

She opened the doors of the Church and walked out. The doors softly closed behind her.

Kirei turned around and turned his gaze up to the figure of Jesus Christ on the cross.

"Why do you do this to me?" asked Kirei, as he slowly fell to his knees, "What did I do to deserve this from you? What wrong did I commit in a past life to warrant this mess? How can you take even her away from me and for my hated enemy's surrogate son?"

Kirei sighed and looked at his hands. _I may not ever feel what the right thing is . . . but I could never take her life or even be complicit in her death. I will never allow it! If Emiya Shirou must live through this war, then so be it. My daughter will not be a victim of my habits or my mistakes or something that I look back upon in regret! It looks like . . . I'll never get the answer to how valid my existence is in this world._

"You're quite the fool, Kirei," said a young blond boy walking towards him. Kirei turned to see Gilgamesh in child form and raised an eyebrow. "What she chose to do doesn't change your goal in summoning that thing from the grail. The results would be the same; your daughter would be dead regardless of whether or not she joined the war. Why does this new development matter to you?"

"She's being irresponsible and placing her own life in danger for that good for nothing - !"

"Tch, you petty clown, you sound like more of a father right now than an Overseer," said Gilgamesh, beginning to grin. "It seems you do have weaknesses after all, Kirei. So, are you still going along with your original plan?"

Kirei frowned. "No, I suppose I cannot." _Honestly, all of this would have worked better had I never allowed her to live with me all of those years ago. I made a decision on a whim and now it's come to backfire. Wanting to know Angra Mainyu's response was much more imaginable when she wasn't around . . . even if, intellectually, I understood it would mean she would die too. I just never connected the visceral experience of what that would mean to what I knew. A foolish, idiotic error on my part._

"It looks like I now have a stake in this war." said Kirei.

Gilgamesh burst out in laughter as he transformed back to his adult self. _This new development is actually a relief. Kirei has a soft spot despite his disturbing tendencies. This war is getting more interesting._

* * *

"I am Kuriyama Mirai, the Servant Avenger of this Holy Grail War, I saved my world from evil spirits . . . and I, um, went on a monstrous rampage and nearly killed everyone I loved - especially the boy I was secretly in love with - but um, it - it all turned alright in the end!"

The pink-haired high school student explained. Sakura blinked as she noticed the Servant. _This is a Servant? She looks like a typical girl like me . . ._

"U-um, hello," stuttered Sakura, before bowing, "I'm your Master for this war and I'll be providing you with mana."

Shinji shoved her aside; Sakura fell to the floor in the thump. Mirai shifted from fidgeting with her glasses to giving Shinji a hard glare. Shinji pushed the book of False Attendant in front of Mirai's face.

"See this?" said Shinji grinning, "I'm your Master now. Control of you shall go over to me!"

He proceeded to scowl as he saw that Sakura had summoned some typical high school girl. He turned to Sakura and kicked her in the face. "What the hell, you idiot! What kind of Servant is this?! This stupid bitch isn't gonna win me the war!"

Mirai noticed the girl was shaking and frowned. She closed her eyes and decided to pique into the mind of the girl. Mirai's eyes flew open and a scowl marred her delicate features. Shinji turned to Servant Avenger.

"Well, maybe I can have a little fun with you, after all," said Shinji grinning, "Get on your knees, you stupid bitch! Time to get my effort's worth from you."

A tearing and slash sound resounded throughout the room as Mirai held up a sword made of her own blood. The book of false attendant fell to pieces in Shinji's hands and Shinji froze as the blade came near his neck.

"That would be unpleasant," said Mirai, fiddling with her glasses with her open hand, "so I think not. Instead, how about you leave or otherwise I can kill you right here."

"Y-you . . . what?!" shouted Shinji, backing away in a hurry and nearly falling over himself. Sakura gaped at Mirai. "But how?"

"I was born with a cursed bloodline and I already have spiritual obligations from the world of which I came from," said Mirai, "That old relic cannot control me and the parameters of the Holy Grail war has shifted sufficiently enough so that only those who have been chosen as Master have any legitimate influence. To put it bluntly, you don't matter."

Shinji glared but fled the room.

"Avenger, I know that you have good intentions but - !" Sakura said, raising herself from the floor.

"No." said Mirai, looking directly at her Master.

"What?"

"I have seen your suffering," said Mirai, Sakura's eyes widened. "it is far beyond the horrors of what I went through. Therefore, I will do my utmost to see that your true wish is granted in this war."

"My true wish?" questioned Sakura, she furrowed her brows. _The only thing I can think of is Emiya-kun's love . . . but that doesn't seem right_

"To find peace from your meaningless suffering."

Sakura frowned. _Where is this leading to? I don't understand what that statement means . . ._

"So then, will you be helping my brother and grandfather?" asked Sakura, "I understand that you have misgivings but -"

"I am not helping a _rapist_ and an abomination that has no qualms with being a _child rapist_." said Mirai, matter-of-factly. Sakura cringed upon hearing those words. She tried to think of an argument but Mirai raised her hand. "I am here to help my Master, which is you, and that's all. I refuse to waste any time with those . . . _things_."

"But well . . . they're my family . . ."

"No, they're not," replied Mirai, a scowl marring her delicate features, she returned her blood inside her body and her body seemed to shake in anger. Sakura tried to think of a defense. "And I don't mean the adoption, I mean the fact they've been using you as some child prostitute since arriving here. Either by the worms or that rapist."

"B-but it's my fault for taking nii-san's position as the heir!" said Sakura, as tears began to shine through her eyes.

"That doesn't make logical sense," said Mirai, gazing eye level at Sakura. "He's jealous that he wasn't the one being raped by worms as a child? It's somehow your fault for your biological parents and that monster to have agreed to an adoption when you were a child? Or perhaps you mean the fact that your so-called brother rapes you whenever he pleases? You are at no fault for any of this."

Sakura began trembling as tears started leaking from her eyes. "B-but . . . I . . . think maybe nii-san is being controlled by grandfather to -"

"More excuses," interrupted Mirai, "and all that would mean is that man allows child prostitution and child rape in his own house."

Sakura collapsed onto the floor and cried. She seemed to shiver and tried to cover her face. _No, no, no, no, I . . . I deserved it all . . . This can't . . ._

Mirai got to her knees and pulled Sakura to a sitting position before embracing her in a hug. Sakura cried on her shoulder and continued to shake.

"From now on, you'll be doing what are in your best interests, okay?" said Mirai gently, she stroked Sakura's left cheek. "Absolutely none of this was your fault. Even should I fall, please remember that."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: The real world politics and history shared in the following chapter should be used as means of questioning just how realistic and useful an ideology like Shirou's is. I HATED his response in UBW. But just as importantly, everything mentioned is based on true historical events. It's admittedly a call to stop running from history and start addressing it. Otherwise, we might always be bogged down by it. Such as the terrible history between the West and the Middle East, which continue on to this very day and do have real world consequences. It's time to start thinking of legitimate long-term solutions to ongoing problems. I also think putting Shirou's belief into real world contexts really helps show the utility, or lack thereof, of it.

* * *

Shirou sat cross legged at his dinner table and sighed. Sakura came over and placed coffee on the table before going back to the kitchen to cook dinner. _What have I done? I lost the first true friend that I ever had._

"Don't worry about Caren-san, Sempai," said Sakura, chopping up vegetables. Unbeknownst to Shirou, a smirk formed on her lips."I think she'll come around and if not, you always have me."

Shirou took a sip of coffee and continued to stay silent. He closed his eyes. _Great, now I'm becoming more confused. Ever since we were kids, I've always liked both Sakura and Caren; I could never bring myself to share my feelings for either. I just want both to be happy . . . but that's impossible._

The front door opened and the noise of shoes being kicked off could be heard. Shirou opened his eyes and raised his head to see Caren walking over to him. She sat opposite of him on her knees and shot him a solemn look. Shirou tensed and Sakura frowned upon turning to see Caren had arrived.

"Caren-san, it's good to see you," said Sakura, giving a smile. _Damn it! What is she doing back here?! Hasn't she hurt Shirou enough? I was finally in a more favorable position for his affections . . ._

Caren briefly turned her gaze toward the kitchen and smiled. "Hello, Sakura-chan, it's good to see you. I have a dire matter to discuss with Shirou, you may stay and listen, if you like."

"O-oh, sure . . ." said Sakura. _I wonder where this is going? Maybe she's just saying a final goodbye?_

"Shirou, as you know, I have never nor will I ever encourage your reckless disregard for reality for the sake of a dream that has no intrinsic value for either yourself or for the people you supposedly believe that you'll be protecting from human violence," said Caren, Shirou frowned but kept silence. _Straight to the point_ "That being said, I could never live with myself if I remained a passive bystander while you put yourself in danger or . . . or if you were killed. So, I've decided that I will help you in this war to the best of my ability. Ordinarily, there are rules against Church favoritism but I'm no longer a member of the Church as of yesterday."

"Wait, what?!" said Shirou, his eyes widened. "What do you mean? You don't mean . . . did you leave the Church just to help me in the war?"

Caren nodded. "Precisely. I could never live with myself, if I remained a passive onlooker to your death. So, I am now also a participant in the Holy Grail War. I promise to do my best to keep us both safe."

"What?" said Shirou, he felt his heart sink. _What have I done? This is all my fault . . ._ "I . . . I'm so sorry, Caren-chan! I didn't mean -"

Caren raised a hand to stop Shirou from continuing. Sakura had stiffened upon hearing the contents of the conversation. _Damn it! I'm back to square one . . ._

"You aren't at fault for the decisions that I choose to make, Shirou. It was my decision and I take full responsibility." said Caren, "My father, who is serving as Overseer of this war, wasn't happy with my decision but I'll be backing you up to make sure that you live. If any personal harm should come to me, then that's entirely my fault."

Shirou frowned. "Should . . . we be discussing this in front of Sakura-chan?"

"That's another subject that we have yet to fully discuss," said Caren, she turned to Sakura and smirked. "Matou Sakura's family is one of the three main families and has helped create the war in the first place. In fact, Sakura herself is a participant, isn't that right, Sakura- _chan_?"

Shirou's eyes widened. He turned to Sakura. "Is that true, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura looked down on the ground and nodded. _Well, I would have to come clean sooner or later._

"I . . . well, it wasn't really by choice. I have to participate for the honor of my house," said Sakura, "but, knowing grandfather, he's probably also a participant. More importantly, there has been some . . . unfair changes to the fifth war. All of the noble magi houses, the Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern, will receive two Servants per family. So, grandfather also has a Servant although he hasn't shared it with me."

"Tohsaka? Wait, you mean Tohsaka Rin is a Master in this war?" said Shirou. Sakura nodded.

"Yes, my father is actually in charge of taking care of their properties and monies as Tohsaka Rin's guardian. There's another matter that we need to discuss, Shirou-kun," said Caren, Shirou turned his attention to her. "About the Einzbern Master . . . it'll most likely be Illyasviel von Einzbern."

Shirou's eyes widened. "So, I'll finally meet the mysterious sister that I've heard so much about? It's not under ideal circumstances but I guess this is better than nothing. Maybe I can explain to her what happened to father."

"You may have to kill her." said Caren gazing Shirou directly in the eyes, "After all, if your personal ideology judges her as a threat to people at large, then isn't that what you must do?"

Shirou scowled. "Do my ideals really anger you that much?"

"If you're serious about being the living embodiment of your beliefs then what good are they if you cannot accept challenges to them? Especially when those challenges are mere hypothetical questions?" questioned Caren, "How about you answer my philosophical challenges, a list of questions and hypothetical propositions that I've prepared to break this nonsensical and self-defeating ideal of yours and if you can satisfy them then I will stop bringing this issue up in future conversations."

"Alright," said Shirou, squaring his shoulders. "You can try, but I doubt you'll change my mind."

"In virtually every war in human history, war rape has occurred. The raping of civilian women and especially children has always been an unchecked and ignored part of human history with victims rarely, if ever, being able to gain justice in international courts," began Caren, Shirou felt as if he had been punched in the gut. Sakura listened attentively. "and, in fact, the only times war rape hasn't occurred is when the wars were very short - roughly four weeks of skirmishes and no more. Knowing this, knowing that war rape is an intrinsic aspect of war and therefore of human behavior, how do you propose the victims find justice for this matter? Also know this, the ones who generally get away with war rape aren't African countries, but European countries such as in the war of Yugoslavia in which Serbian paramilitary troops raped Bosnian Muslim women and children with the sole purpose of conducting such unsavory acts. If you were on the Serbian side of that war, what would you do?"

Shirou sat frozen for several minutes as he thought of how to answer. _That seems . . . way more complicated than I thought it would be . . ._

"Well, it's obvious," said Shirou nodding to himself, "I would kill them for conducting such atrocities."

"And then the Serbian army would kill you," said Caren, shaking her head, "and the rape victims would never see legal justice for the crimes committed against them because in the eyes of the law, the rapists are innocent until proven guilty."

"Well . . ." said Shirou, a knot forming in his chest and sweat beading down his back. "I'd just have to become more powerful than those armies through magi training."

"A childish notion; one born from fantasy stories, fictional hero films depicting one-man armies, and attempting to encompass fictitious thinking into realistic situations." snapped Caren, scowling, "A single person can only accomplish so much and even should you become the most powerful magi in existence, there would be a human limit to that power. A swathe of magi armies from the country committing genocide would be able to eventually stop you and kill you. I want a realistic answer, Shirou."

"I . . . would try to forcibly stop both sides from committing violence." said Shirou, nodding to himself. "That can't be wrong, can it?"

"Honestly? That would only lead to calls from both sides calling you a double-agent and prolong the war," said Valvatorez, materializing into existence. The three turned to him in surprise. "I've personally seen it happen in a war zone. A young girl summoned demons to try to stop a war between two countries and it only led to more aggression between the belligerent factions. It may have also contributed to the death of a nun whom I had attempted to protect from the violence. The nun was a nurse who attempted to give free treatment to both sides in her church which was made into a makeshift clinic. Sadly, the only result of her medical treatment to wounded soldiers and civilians was a warrant for her death by her own country and the enemy country - a result that I couldn't prevent despite my promise to her."

"Indeed a situation like that, and other horrific acts of retaliation, could happen," said Caren, nodding to the vampire in gratitude. She turned her attention back to Shirou. "And consider this Shirou-kun, what if protecting the greater good or the most people meant stopping violence by helping in an ethnic cleansing; including situations where children are raped and then killed by the country that you're helping? Counter Guardians are known to act in such a manner for the so-called protection of the world. Can you not see a situation in which you're forced to be complicit in such horrific affairs?"

"I . . . never really gave it that much thought . . ." said Shirou bowing his head. His shoulders shook. "But . . . ! But maybe I can make a difference, somehow? I know that it seems impossible, but maybe there's a way!"

"An argument from ignorance," said Caren, shaking her head. "You must acknowledge the sinfulness of human nature. The bible may not be historically accurate, but it does guard against the inherent sinful nature of humankind better than other holy books. I will admit, far too often, the nature of sin can also be used as a justification for violence, but I believe that only shows the truth in what ancient men saw and wrote about in the bible."

"Well, isn't that circular reasoning?" said Shirou, "You shouldn't just assume humans will always be prone to folly. What would be the point of doing anything positive then?"

"While I am not religious, nor a believer in God, in fact I detest God with all my being," said Valvatorez, putting a hand over his forehead and closing his eyes in concentration. "there is truth in what the lass says. Rascal, the depth of human depravity far surpasses that of demons. It is a sad truth that is confronted by all who wish to gaze upon the world realistically to find manageable solutions to the world's problems."

"So what . . . do you all think that all of humanity will act in evil ways," said Shirou, "no matter what?"

"YES!" thundered Caren, Valvatorez, and surprisingly Sakura. The group turned to Sakura.

"Shirou-sempai, I'm afraid that you sound very naive," said Sakura with a frown. Shirou gaped at Sakura. _I can't believe this, even Sakura thinks I'm being stupid?_ "the truth is . . . basically everyone in the world is out for themselves. People only care what you can do for them. Otherwise . . . you're considered not worth anyone's time and energy."

"Well, I want to be different!" snapped Shirou, crossing his arms. "Is that so wrong? I just want to help people and I don't care what happens to me."

"If you had meant to help people by giving medical treatment like doctors and nurses in war zones do, then that would be admirable," said Valvatorez, bringing his cape over his body. "but what you're advocating is more violence as a means to end violence. That doesn't make logical sense. Violence begets violence and your methods would bring more hatred, fear, and violence upon the world. Emiya Shirou, what you desire to be is a mass murderer given legal authority to act out his violent fantasies. You wouldn't be considered a hero and if you were, it only reinforces what we already know about human depravity. Such behavior should only be deemed psychopathic."

"Shirou, you're essentially arguing against the entirety of human history," said Caren, "furthermore, people with self-interests will use your so-called selflessness for untoward ends. What you plan to do isn't justice or honor and it won't bring a positive outcome for anyone. You'll just become a glorified mercenary. A contract killer who deals so-called "justice" while ignoring situations of rape and genocide. Now, for the next thought experiment, the history books of the United States and teachers of US grade schools consistently teach that the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were acts of mercy. After all, the US claims that their actions prevented more civilian deaths because they could have committed to a long-term land invasion to kill more Japanese people. And, of course, they ignore and systematically remove the more grotesque results of the bombings such as the deformed children who were born as a result of those two bombing campaign. Now, the US's actions killed the least amount of people, does this act - for the greater good - justify the bombings?"

"That . . ." Shirou paused. _I . . . I have no idea what to say to that. The killing of Japanese people was just wrong. The US was wrong for doing it. But . . . how can I say that based upon my beliefs of saving the most people?_ "I . . ."

"Allow me to add a qualification to that," said Caren, "what if we had the exact same scenario but instead it was a Middle Eastern country bombing a Western country? For example, what if a Middle Eastern country nuked a Western country and then celebrated their actions as merciful under the basis that they didn't have to do a land invasion to kill more people? Can _either_ the bombing or the land invasion be called an act of _mercy_? And, how would you feel if you lived through the experience of seeing men, women, and children dying of radiation poisoning, charred bodies of the dead from the bomb blasts, and the grotesque diseases that occurred to newborn children who were completely innocent of the war?"

"Well . . . I would have to think about it some more," said Shirou, "I feel as if I'm on the spot here but I . . . I would say that . . . um . . . that . . . okay, to be honest, that's just stuff that I never gave much thought to. So, I don't think I can really answer those questions without thinking it over some more."

"Not a good enough answer, let's try another one, shall we?" said Caren, Shirou let out an aggravated sigh. "During the reign of the British empire over India, they systematically controlled the grain prices and starved the entire country on four separate occasions, culminating into a mass genocide of approximately 30 million civilians. Europe in general played power games with China and that resulted in another 30 million civilian deaths. These genocides have never been formally recognized by either the United Nations or the European governments. Despite, in the case of India, the British putting the indigenous people into internment camps, having armies forcibly quash protests for food, and allowing diseases to spread causing massive mortality in internment camps. That is simply because, unlike the genocides of Europe during World War 2, the Indians and Chinese weren't pale enough for Europeans to deem their lives of any value from the 1700s to the 1940s. After all, human zoos were still active until 1958 in the Western world."

Shirou felt as if a stone had embedded itself inside his heart as he listened to Caren's ruthless explanation. _I feel like I'm going to vomit . . ._

"The British soldiers and government were all celebrating themselves as the most Christian people in the world while conducting one of the most horrific atrocities in human history. Records of these atrocities are numerous thanks to mostly the US journalists and US Christian missionaries who documented and condemned the genocides as purposefully conducted by the British rulers; providing overwhelming evidence of that fact." said Caren, "To this day the British continue to deny their mass genocides and their best argument has been that they didn't kill 30 million but rather 17 million and the rest were merely excess deaths. They have purposefully removed the history of those genocides, of their theft of raw materials, and worsening the quality of life for virtually all of the countries they took over as a direct result of their lack of regard for human rights. Seeking reparations could potentially be problematic as they would have to deal with just what to begin addressing to help ameliorate and that's not counting the opportunistic groups, like British Christian missionaries, forcibly trying to convert people in foreign countries they deem as savage because of their lack of knowledge of what their own country did to those areas of the world. Christianity effectively transformed into self-serving bigotry under the veneer of charity. Now, knowing this, is there a way to ameliorate the past wrongs - the scope of which remains immense - in order to make everyone happy? That isn't to say positive changes couldn't be made such as acknowledging these events in history books instead of misrepresenting the facts and sanitizing the enormity of the mass genocides, but do you really believe you can change to the effect that everyone is happy with the outcome? How would reparations even begin to be paid and to what scope considering the deplorable level of violence that those policies inflicted upon indigenous peoples for over 300 years?"

Shirou closed his eyes and scowled. He began rubbing his temples as a migraine began to build. He let out another aggravated sigh before opening his eyes.

"I don't know what to believe in anymore, then," said Shirou as tears began to trickle down his cheeks, "I knew that saving everyone was impossible, but if saving the majority of people is flawed thinking, then what is the morally right thing to do?"

"Unfortunately, that is up to all of us to decide for ourselves," said Caren, she held up a hand to stall Shirou's comeback remark. "And just as unfortunately, that is a lengthy and trying process for everyone. You shouldn't just decide you know all the correct answers to life at a young age. I, too, am still learning. Perhaps, we humans always will be."

"I guess that I've been completely stupid this whole time," said Shirou, wiping away his tears. "I don't . . . really have a reason to be putting my life at risk for this tournament anymore."

"We actually do have a valid goal for this war that I believe is worth pursuing," said Caren, getting up from her sitting position and walking over to Shirou. Shirou raised himself from the floor to stand in front of her. "The complete destruction of the Holy Grail itself. It's possessed by a nefarious spirit that seeks to bring about all the world's evils into fruition. I wish to see it eradicated from existence."

"Can that be done though?" said Shirou, "Wasn't my father attempting to destroy it before the fire was caused?"

"It should be possible, if we destroy it before the wish can be made," said Caren, "We must avoid it's corrupt essence and we would probably need to gain enough raw power to effectively destroy it. We may . . . have to neutralize my father from interfering; not killing him, of course, but rather making sure that he cannot jeopardize our goal. That vile being must not be brought upon the world. I want both you and father to survive this dreadful war."

" . . . We'll have to kill people, won't we?" said Shirou barely above a whisper, _I never gave as much thought about this war as I had assumed_ "And . . . there may be no avoiding such a consequence. I might have to kill that mysterious sister of mine, or my classmates, and most likely, complete strangers."

"Yes," said Caren, "that is . . . unfortunately what war means."

"I don't even know where to begin apologizing and thanking you enough, Caren-chan," said Shirou, Caren's lips turned upward. "I've been so foolish this entire time and I can see why you were angry with me earlier. I can only thank you for sticking by me and being there for me. I honestly don't know what else to say."

They embraced each other in a tight hug. Caren leaned her head back so that her golden eyes were looking directly at Shirou's eyes.

"Shirou-kun, in all honesty, both of us could die in this war at any given time," said Caren, leaning forward until their noses were touching. "So, I wanted to say this now. While we're still in the moment and so I never have to regret the possibility of not telling you. The truth is, I only joined this war because I love you. I don't mean as a friend, or that I think of you as a relative, I mean that I honestly love you with all my heart. I know that sounds strange coming from me, but it's what I'm telling you now because I have no doubt in my mind about these feelings for you. I was just . . . too afraid of the potential complications to our friendship."

"I actually feel the same. I love you too, Caren-chan," said Shirou, beginning to chuckle. Caren's eyes widened slightly before she grinned. Their faces inched closer until Caren planted the kiss. Shirou deepened the kiss and the pair began their first snogging session while lost in their own little world.

Sakura silently watched the events unfold and felt her heart shatter to pieces. Tears threatened to come unbidden as she stood awkwardly seeing the love of her life kiss the close friend that she had been secretly jealous of. _All of my worst fears . . . were real. Who was I trying to fool? I was never good enough for him. I can't even give him children like she can. I'm just . . . a dirty and used monster. Kuriyama-san was wrong about me not deserving it. I'll never be worthy of the loving relationship that I want. I'm too . . . damaged._

Sakura ran to the bathroom and quickly shut the door. She turned on the faucet, curled into a ball by the door, and began to cry her eyes out as her heart felt as if it was being cut to pieces.

 _Why am I crying? I knew this would happen! I just pretended it wasn't going on, but I knew deep down! Why would Shirou even want me? If nii-san ever told him about how defiled I am, then he'd just look at me as if I was a monster anyway! No one will ever . . . care about me the way I want them too. Not my so-called sister, not my adopted family, and certainly not Shirou. I can't depend on Kuriyama-san's sweet lies either! I'm worthless, I don't belong anywhere. Just a mistake being thrown around, pitied, and used. That's all I am._

* * *

"I'm the Lancer class, Kazuki Muto is my real name. In my life . . . wait, what?" said the new Servant, looking around an empty dark clearing. "What in the world?!"

Black tendrils had captured his body and he found himself being submerged into a mysterious thick black goo. "What is this?! This can't be right! Where's my Master, what is going on?!"

Kazuki flew into the sky only for the tendrils to latch onto him and forcefully pull him down. He screamed angrily at the night sky as his face became contorted in rage. The tendrils pulled him ever so slowly closer to the pit of the dark abyss. Kazuki shook his head in defiance before the tendrils successfully pulled him into the dark abyss. His body plunged into the nefarious goo and he drowned into the corrupt depths. The goo flew into the sky and slowly formed itself into the silhouette of Kazuki Muto.

Kazuki Muto reemerged with an unearthly black light surrounding his body. He transformed into his Noble Phantasm, the Homunculus form, with dark red eyes and jet black covering what use to be the green highlights of his transformed state. The new being roared into the sky and took flight.

 _I accept you as my Servant and you shall henceforth address me as your Master_

The words entered into his thoughts as a strong feminine voice in his mind acted as the mouthpiece of the dark spirit within the Holy Grail.

 _My spirit shall manifest into this reality, THERE WILL BE NO ERRORS THIS TIME!_ _ALL OF THE WORLD'S EVIL SHALL BE UNLEASHED!_


End file.
